Process of removing fiber from and finishing knit goods.



NITED STATES JACOB MAY, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

PROCESS OF REMOVING FIBER FROM AN D FINISHING KNIT GOODS.

SIECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 658,820, dated gepteznber 18, 1900. Application filed April 23, 1900. Serial No. 14.031. '(No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB MAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Nash- I ville, county of Davidson, State of Tennessee,

have invented a' certain new and useful Process of Removing Fiber from and Finishing Knit Goods, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process for re.-

moving rough fiber from knit cotton goods either beforethe samehave been oxidized in v the ordinary way during the dyeing process means commonly employed forthat purpose? prior to my invention. 4 I 1 v One object of my invention is to provide a process which will remove the rough fiber from knit cotton goods to a beautiful finish with a shining gloss either before or after the goods are dyed, as practiced in the ordinary process, in order that the goods may be finished in a. simple and effective and impressively-beautiful manner without the employment of a singeing or ironing process or other processes commonly employed for this purpose-prior tovmy invention; and my further object is to secure the desired end with the least loss of material in the most economical manner.

It has heretofore been proposed and attempted to remove the rough fiber from knit cotton goods by various means; but the different processes that have been employed with which I am familiar frequently result in a loss of alarge percentage of goods,.whereas by the process which I have discovered I am enabled to produce not only a beautiful finish with a shiny gloss not otherwise attain- I will first proceed to describe my process as applied to goods which have not been oxidized, beginning with white cotton goods which have not been submitted to the dyeing process.

In carryingout my. process upon white knit goods I proceed as follows: I form a solution in a suitable tank or vessel consisting of alum,

blue-stone, chlorate of potash, and sal-ammohiac, mixing such ingredients inthe tank or vessel and first adding just enough water to dissolve the ingredients, then boiling the solutiom'thus formed, and at the same time stirring or agitating the mixture thoroughly in order to thoroughly dissolve the ingredients.'='= After they are thoroughly 'dissolvcd I add azsuffici'entquantity of cold; water to bring the solution .to a densityof trom 12 to13 Twaddell, and I call this, for conven- .ience, the -.first solution or mixture. 1

have found in practice that good results can be obtained by using the following proportions of the ing'redientswthat is to say, from" one hundred to two hundred and twenty-five pounds of alum'or sulphate of alumina. from sixteen to twenty pounds of blue-stone, (sulphate of copper,) from eighty-five to one hundred and ten pounds of chlorate of potash, and from eight to twelve pounds of sal-ammoniac, to which is added'after the same is dissolved from twohundred to two hundred and twen-tyfive gallons of cold water in order to bring the solution to the proper density of from 12 to 13 Twaddell. In the second solution or mixture, which forms the dye liquor, I take mixtures in the manner defined for the first batch of goods, to be about seventy five pounds weight, I take twenty gallons of the first solution and twenty gallons of the second or dyeing solution (the two solutions when so mixed to reach a density of not less than 16 Twaddell, the process of mixing bringing it up to that density) and place the mixture, with the goods, in a tom-tom of any wellknown construction, starting the machine in operation. I then continue running the machine-say from three-fourthsof an hour to an hour-until the liquor formed by the two solutions is thoroughlytaken up or absorbed by the goods, so as to thoroughly saturate or permeate the goods with said liquor. It is important to ascertain definitely when the two solutions as above are mixed that the mixture thus formed has, in fact, a density of not less than 16 Twaddell. These goods are then removed from the tom-tom and placed in an extractor, which may be an ordinary centri'f u gal extractor, and the extractor is operateduntil all the moisture possible is extracted from the goods,the liquor which is extracted being absolutely saved and caught in a suitable receptacle or receptacles for'use in themanner hereinafter indicated in order to thereafter effect a saving in. the quantity of chemical ingredients used in the process. After the goods are' ta'ken from the extractor I preferably let themstand over nightin'an until by inspection it is noticed ordinary atmosphere and normal. tempera-v to re, although it is not absolutely necessary to do so, as the goods maybe oxidized immediately, though I- find that the best results .are obtained by allowing the goods to stand 1 over night before subjecting them to the oxidiziug action. Before introducing the goods, into the oxidizing-cage, which may be of any suitable construction familiar to those skilled in the art, the room is heated to from 125 to' 150 Fahrenheit, and the goods are then inserted in the oxidizing-cage, where they remain, and the cage kept revolving from two to four hours or a sufiicie'nt length of time that the goods are dry and the rough fibers have begun to disappear, at which pointthe doors of the room may be opened so as to 'eool the room alittle, but not enough to chill the goods, which condition is maintained from two to four hours longer, according to the finishqesired, it being understood that the goods are still being subjected to the oxidizing operation, in which the temperature, has been slightly diminished by the-cooling of the room in which the oxidizing cage or machine illecated. Foathe second batchrof goods or seve'ntyfive pounds I may take seven and a half quarts of the first solution and mix it with from five-to six pounds of aniline salt until dissolved. I then put this latter mixture in the tom-tom, together with the amount of liqnor saved from the mixture used in running the first batch, bringing the solution to a den sity of 16?. Twaddell, then placing the goods in the tom-tom and proceeding as before, by which means I am enabled to greatly reduce the cost of the chemicals used on account of the saving effected by using the liquor saved from the goods in the extractor over and over again, and then oxidizing, as before. After the oxidation has been fully completed to the point desired the goods are removed from the oxidizing-cage and treated in the usual way; but .it is preferable to allow them to remain over night before they are subjected to the ohrom-i'ng process for fixing the dye.

process. Preferably I use the following chroming-receipt mixture: Take about fortyfive or fifty pounds of bi-chromate of soda, put

They are then subjected to any ordinary chroming the other in the tom-tom. Then put in about one pint of olive-oil or two pints of softener to each batch and stir well Then put in the goods. Run the machine about fifteen or twenty minutes, and then let itstand about three-quarters of an hour longer tosoak. The stockingsorother goods are then black and fast. Then put them in an extractor and take out all the moisture. -A n y other chroming receipt can be used; but this is the one that I use, and itworks'excellen-tly and is cheap. After standing take the goods out. In chroming the liquor should be used but once. New liquor should be used each' time to have good work.

In ordertouse both receipts when thegoods have a -blue bottom on them, on starting the first time I proceed asfol'lows: Use twelve and oue-half gallons of each solution or mixture, that they reach in the tom-tom a density of atleast16TwaddelL Then take seventy-five pounds or a little over of goods, put them in the tom-tom, and start the machine. Run it from three-quarters of an hour to an, hour until pretty nearly all the liquor is forced into the goods. Then put the goods in the extractor, extract, and save every drop ofliquor.

.There will be received about twenty-five galions or over back again. On'account of the blue bottom the goods are-wet and moist and y.

will absorbjonly the strength of the liquor and not reduce its quantity, so there issa-ved practically the entire quantity of twelve. and onehalf gallons. Inrunnin'g the second batch and subsequent batches of goods.-blue-bottom or boi ed goods-Itake five and one-half pounds of aniline salt and seven and one-half quarts of the first solution, mixing themtogether and dissolving in the manner defined.

then place the liquor thus formed, together with the liquor saved from the extractor in running the firstbatch, in the tom-to1n, the

density of the said liquor so mixed to reach about 16 Twaddell or a little over, and proceed as before.

I may vary the. process above defined in the following way: First, boil' seventy-five pounds of white goods about twenty minutes and stir them well. Then put them in the extractor and extract all moisture. Then use Put them together in the tom-tom, so

the mixtures and the tom-tom operation as in case of the process provided for blue-bottom goods.

In order to apply my process to goods which have been dyed heretofore, whether they passed through the oxidizing-machine or not, I take of the solution which has been saved fromthe extractor twenty-five gallons, which reaches about 10 to 12 Twaddell. I .then place the liquid in the tom-tom with seventyfive pounds of the goods and then run the machine as before defined.

' While I have specified above the propor process, nor do I wish. to limit myself to the use of all the ingredients specified under all circumstances, since sal-arnmoniac or .bluestone, or both, may be omitted withou t destroying the beneficial result desired. Although I believe the use of. all the ingredients to be preferable, as filed by actual practice that the result can invariably be secured by such use, I do omit sal-ammoniac or bl ue-stone and add a'little more alum or potash instead, and

' thus reach'the same result.

While I have describedmy invention. as applicable to the finishingof goods which have been oxidized for the purpose of removing the rough fiber, as well as to goods which have not been oxidized, I should add that it is preferable to apply the process togoods which have not been oxidized during the dyeing operation, because of the savingof time which is eif ected by that procedure, and I may add while'I find that my process is par"- ticularly adapted for use upon cotton hose or the like, which through my process acquire a most excellent and not-heretofore-reached perfection and finish, it-may' be applied to any variety of cotton goods from which it is desired'to remove the rough fiber and get a good shiny finish.

I claim as my invention 1. The process'herein described of removing the rough fiber from cotton'goods, saidv process consisting in thoroughly saturating or permeating the goods'with a solution containing alum, and chlorate of potash, then extracting said solution from the goods, and allowing the goods to dryin an ordinarytemperature, and then subjecting the goods to an oxidizing action, substantially as de-' scribed. Y

2. The process herein described of removing rough-fiber from cotton goods,which con sists in saturating or permeating the goods with a solution ofaluni, chlorate ofpotash,

and a dye liquor,then extracting thesaidsolution from the goods and permitting the. goods to d ry-in an ordinary temperature, and then subjecting the goods to an oxidizing ac tion, substantially as described.

3. The process herein described for removing rough fibers from cotton goods,consisting in thoroughly saturating or. permeating the goods with-a solution containing alum, chlo --rate of potash and an aniline salt, then err-v tracting the solution from said goods, and allowing the goods to remain in "an ordinary subjecting the goods to the action of an oxi= dizing-machine, substantially as described.

4. The process herein described-of remov ing rough fibers from cotton goods,consisting in saturating or permeating the goods with a solution containing chlorate of potash, alum,

bluewitriol and aniline salt, by forcing the said solution into the goods, then extracting the liquor from said goods and finally subjecting the goods to oxidation, substantially as described.

5. The process herein described of removing rough fiber from'cotton goods, consisting 'i'nthoroughly saturating or permeating the goods with asolution containing alum, chlorate of'potash, blue vitriola'nd sal-ammoniac,

main in an ordinary temperature a suitable time, and finally subjecting the goods to an '86 temperature a suitable period, and finally and an aniline salt, by forcing'said solution zoo oxidizing action, substantially as described.

6. The processherein described for removin g rough fibers from cotton goods,which cons'ists in saturating or permeating the goods witha solution containing chlorate of potash, alum,'blue vitriol and sal-ammoniac, in suitable proportions, and. an aniline'salt, at a density of 16 Twaddell, then eirtracting the liquor from said goods, and permitting them to remain for a. suitable time in an ordinary temperature, and finally subjecting the goods to an oxidizing action, substantially as described. 1

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JACOB MAY.

Witnesses:

RICHARD S. WEST, RoB'r. O.'ALLEN. 

